Honor and Decency
by Kilala81
Summary: DMC alternate ending. Jack has his moment of courage and does the right thing, while showing Elizabeth that at least one of them does, in fact, have honor and decency. And what of Davy Jones? Would he really just let everyone else escape in that long boat
1. Honor and Decency

_**Honor and Decency**_

Jack looked out at the remainder of his crew and then around the deck of his beloved ship. There was no doubt in his mind that Davy Jones would deliver upon his promise and return her to the depths of the ocean.

"Captain, orders?" Gibbs questioned. The kraken would be returning and there was no doubt that it would rip the ship apart now that it was good and mad.

"Abandon ship, into the long boat," Jack replied.

"Jack...the Pearl," Gibbs said in near shock.

"She's just a ship, mate," Jack replied solemnly. He took one last look around while the others began to prepare the long boat.

"Thank you, Jack," Elizabeth said as she walked up to him.

"We're not free yet, love," he answered.

"You came back, I always knew you were a good man," she said and eyed him up. Jack watched her suspiciously. He could see pure curiosity and even desire in her eyes but there was more, something calculating. Her beloved blacksmith had returned to her, so the sudden soft look she was giving him as she stepped closer, left Jack wondering what, exactly, her intentions were. He took a step back to see if she would continue her pursuit or if she would return to what she considered to be her senses, and return to her betrothed.

Jack took yet another step back as she cleared the distance between them but he caught her gaze as it slipped past him briefly to the mast that was behind him. Within a second her lips were on his and as soon as he felt her reaching around him, he smirked and grabbed the shackle then snapped it around her wrist.

"Told you you'd come to my side, love," he taunted as she tried to pull her hand free. "That moral center...that sense of honor and decency...it's saved for people like your dear, William."

"The monster is after you, not us and not the ship. If you get into that boat you sentence us all to death," she pleaded as she tried to free herself.

"And if I would have let you drown that day in port Royal we wouldn't be having this discussion in the first place, aye?" He bit back. Elizabeth winced at the words, for they were true. She spoke of honor and decency when Jack had saved her life when he could have allowed her to die. And now she was willing to let him die to save herself and the others.

"The way I see it love, we are the same, save for the honor and decency part, of course." He then turned and grabbed her hand and pulled until it began slipping out of the shackle. She whimpered in pain as her petite hand finally came free and she found herself being shoved down to the long boat.

"Oh and Elizabeth," he said just before he put her into the boat. "You might want to work on that personal hygiene too, eh?" He glanced at Will and then to Gibbs.

"Get as far away from the Pearl as ye can," Jack ordered. Everyone started at him in stunned silence.

"Jack..." Gibbs said but didn't need to finish. Jack was already looking back at his ship longingly.

"The captain goes down with the ship, right?" He tried to joke and then took on a more serious tone as he turned back to the crew. "It's after me. Not you and not the ship." Gibbs turned silently to the others who just shrugged.

"Aye, Captain," he said as Jack turned and began walking the deck slowly, taking in his last moments with the Pearl. What felt like hours later, but was really only moments fraught with nervous anticipation, Jack watched as a tentacle began to ascend the side of the ship, he knew what was coming and maybe Elizabeth had been right all along. This was his moment of courage, his chance to do the right thing, if not for them, then for the Black Pearl. What was a man, after all, without his freedom?


	2. Captured

**Okay, this was originally going to be just a one-shot story. But I got to thinking about the ending and wondered why Davy Jones didn't go after the people on the long boat, once Jack was killed and he looked into the chest and saw it was empty. They were in a long boat for goodness sakes, they couldn't have gotten very far yet! That heart was way too important for him to not at least check to see if one of the other people had it. He's not supposed to be an idiot. The idea of just skipping ahead to everyone being at Tia Dalma's shack and Norrington being returned to Beckett, was just a covering up yet another plot hole. **

**Besides, it was Will that stole the key from Davy. Will wanted to rescue his father, so Davy should see Will as a threat, maybe even as big a threat as Jack was. It just makes NO sense to me that they ended DMC in such a half assed way. Oh well...I can always write my own version. lol The next chapter or two, will be the "ending" of DMC and lead into the beginning of AWE. I don't plan to write past that, since I don't know what is in store. **

**Hope you enjoy. Feel free to criticize, but I think my ending makes more "logical" sense and is more in tune with the characters we were introduced to in the first movie. I by far prefer the character personalities from CotBP than in DMC, so that's what I use.

* * *

****Chapter Two:  
****Captured**

* * *

Davy stood watching as his beautiful 'beastie' devoured Jack Sparrow and his beloved Black Pearl. No man, no matter how cunning, would best him. He was the soul of the sea itself and no sailor would ever be allowed to forget that. 

"Jack Sparrow, our debt is settled," he said in a somewhat somber tone. Truthfully, he had hoped to have Jack Sparrow live out his servitude. Dying the way he did, seemed far too noble for someone that had tried to outwit him and showed no respect to the sea for which he claimed to love.

"Captain goes down with the ship."

"Seems not even Jack Sparrow can best the devil."

The words of his crewmen sparked his attention back to the chest, which had led them to this location. "Open the chest, open the chest! I need to see it!" He watched with careful suspicion as the chest was opened, yet remained empty. The sight sent a fury though him instantly. "Damn you, Jack Sparrow!"

The curse filled the air and caused his crew to recoil. Failure was never an option and they would all suffer for it.

"Where is it?" Davy questioned briskly as his cold eyes lingered on one crew men to the next accusingly. No one dared answer.

Davy looked back to the calming waters through narrowed eyes. "Bring me Bootstrap," he ordered. Several men disappeared hurriedly. Davy then turned to his first mate. "The long boat; we take everyone on board. If they don't have the heart you will return to that island and not leave until you've left no stone unturned! Let no one escape alive!"

The first mate nodded and began shouting orders. The long boat could still be seen in the distance and there was no chance such a pathetic vessel could out run the Flying Dutchmen, even if they took their time retrieving them.

* * *

Will sat quietly, occasionally offering hurt glances in Elizabeth's direction. She seemed oblivious to them, however, as was everyone else. A silence had befallen everyone aboard the small boat. They had lost Jack, of his own will, in order to save them. Certainly, Gibbs had not anticipated such a heroic act from him. 

"Is that supposed to be heading our way?" Regetti asked.

"Mother Mary and Joseph," Mr. Gibbs said under his breath as he looked up. The Flying Dutchmen was headed in their direction, moving at an incredible pace.

"We can't outrun them," Elizabeth said. She suddenly realized just how futile it was of her to try to leave Jack stranded in order to save the rest of them. Certainly, they should have realized that a long boat couldn't outrun such a spectacular ship, and Davy Jones was not someone that would just allow them to rush off without his vengeance.

"We have to try something," Will argued.

"If you've got a suggestion, now's the time to hear it." Gibbs informed him.

Before any more could be planned, several of Davy's crew emerged from the surrounding water; apparently, such a small boat was too simple a job to warrant the kraken. The boat was quickly capsized and the passengers were dragged mercilessly to the deck Dutchmen.

"You bastard," Will said instantly and tried to break away from the large hands that were holding onto him. His father was standing before them in shackles, clearly about to be used as leverage of some sort.

"Where's my heart?" Davy questioned darkly.

"The heart?" Elizabeth questioned in confusion.

Davy glanced at the crew man that was holding onto Bootstrap. Immediately, Will's father let out a cry of pain and then forced himself to be silent. Showing pain and weakness would only encourage more torment and might spur Will to do something foolish.

"Stop! We don't have the heart!" Will exclaimed.

For a long moment, Davy looked them all over. It didn't seem as though any of them had a place to hide it to begin with. "Kill them all," he said abruptly and then turned.

"No." Davy stopped and looked over Bootstrap, who had offered the weak protest. "Please don't kill my son."

"It would seem," Davy began as he turned back to Will. "That Jack Sparrow deceived you. He sent you here knowing that you would find that key in order to save your father. And then what did he do? He left you all for dead because he tried to save his own skin."

"If Jack didn't have your heart, it means it has gotten into the hands of someone far worse," Will pointed out.

Davy eyed up the boy for a moment, knowing that he, himself, would be incapable of going onto land for years. His crew had already proven themselves incompetent and he needed that heart returned to him, if he were to survive.

"Throw them in the brig and then get to that island," Davy ordered and then turned to leave. He needed time to think over what had happened and what would need to be done. Whoever had that heart, if it had not gone down with Jack, would need to be found before it was destroyed or much, much worse.


End file.
